I've got one on my wall that I was sure was 3.5 or older when we were viewing him on pictures. But after shooting him, I'm thinking he might have been 2.5, just didn't have the body weight I was expecting. He did have heavy tarsal staining though, so maybe he was 3.5.

“There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.” Aldo Leopold

how'd yall do on the photo quiz?i got it right .that pot belly gives em away[:D]

"Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person." - Fred Bear

how'd yall do on the photo quiz?i got it right .that pot belly gives em away[:D]

Me too! Racks are a big deceiver. Shy of looking at the teeth (which is the ONLY sure way), the next best way is to judge body mass. That's STILL tricky, because of local diets, how much body weight the animal's lost due to the rut, and tooth wear (a very old deer with bad or few good teeth will NOT look that big).

I've spent most of my life around horses and cattle, and it's pretty much the same. In fact with horses, when they get past 12 or so, it gets real hard to age them with their teeth, as they all wear differently. Soil has a lot to do with it. The most sand and grit is in the soil they feed from the more tooth wear they will have.

"Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person." - Fred Bear